"My first mate was attacked by something and has been unconscious ever since. The situation is grim—the fact that he's still alive is a miracle. I'm not sure if he'll ever wake up."
With a snap, Charles capped the pen and slipped it back into his pocket, sighing helplessly. He idly flipped through his journal, but when he saw the contents of a particular page, his breathing quickened. He instantly regretted looking at it.
He snapped the journal shut and shook his head with a neurotic chuckle.
"See something amusing?" Anna asked curiously from a distance.
Charles stared at her for a few seconds before walking over to the bandaged first mate. He took the Black Blade that was resting beside him and gestured with his finger for Anna to come outside.
"Weren't we supposed to stay together for safety? Why are we coming out again?" Anna asked as she stepped out of the cabin.
Charles cupped her fair face and gently kissed her. Anna's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
When Charles let go, Anna, her cheeks flushed, tapped him lightly on the chest. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"Jiajia, we've been childhood sweethearts for so long. Have you only loved me all these years?" Charles asked calmly, leaning against the ship's bulkhead.
"What a silly question. Of course. The moment you handed me that shovel in the kindergarten sandbox, I knew you were the one," Anna replied affectionately, nestling closer to him.
Charles held her, gazing into the darkness. "Jiajia, you're such a perfect wife. Beautiful, elegant, and loyal."
Smiling, Anna wrapped her arms around Charles's neck. "I love cheesy lines like that. Don't stop, tell me more."
"Do you remember the brands of lipstick you used to own?"
"Why ask that? That was so long ago, how could I possibly remember?"
"That's right. Of course you don't. Because I'm a typical, clueless guy. My brain wouldn't contain that kind of detail."
Charles's mouth twitched. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face as he whipped out a Revolver with his left hand, its dark muzzle aimed at Anna's flat stomach.
"Gao Zhiming, what do you think you're doing?" A flash of displeasure crossed Anna's face.
"You even know my real name... so why do you have to be fake! Why!" Charles's face twisted as he viciously squeezed the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG! The force of the shots knocked Anna backward again and again as dark green blood splattered everywhere.
Her eyes flew open, filled with utter disbelief.
Trembling, Anna slowly looked down. When she saw tentacles writhing out from her own abdomen, she broke down, clawing frantically at her hair as if she couldn't accept the reality of it.
"What is this? Why is this thing inside my stomach? Gao Zhiming, help me!"
The moment the words left her mouth, her elegant face collapsed like a melting candle. A twisted Monster made of flesh strips and covered in yellow-green slime appeared on the deck of the Rat.
It was just like its kin from the island—distorted and terrifying. Seven or eight tentacles whipped about uncontrollably, like a malformed octopus dragged from the water.
As Charles watched the Monster, tears still streaming down his face, the hand holding his gun trembled. It's fake. Everything in my mind about Anna is fake.
The next second, the Monster opened its hideous maw, roared, and charged at Charles.
Charles rolled away, dodging the attack. His expression hardened instantly as he expertly reloaded the Revolver.
BANG! BANG! BANG! Green blood spattered across the Monster, but such wounds weren't enough to stop it. With a shriek, a tentacle covered in cilia lashed out and knocked the gun from Charles's hand.
"Why!" Gritting his teeth, Charles instantly drew the Black Blade and, with one clean stroke, severed the tentacle, leaving it to writhe on the deck.
The flesh-strip Monster shrieked and retreated. Charles charged after it, blade raised.
As man and Monster charged toward the bow, the fine, hair-like black cilia on the Monster's tentacles suddenly fanned out. Like a living net, they snapped back and entangled Charles, binding him tightly.
The tentacles continued to constrict, and Charles could hear his own bones starting to groan under the pressure.
CRACK. His ribs began to snap—one, then another. The intense pain forced a groan from Charles's lips.
At that critical moment, the cockpit glass suddenly shattered. A single bullet shot through the Monster's massive yellow eye, causing it to burst like a watermelon.
Screaming in agony, the Monster immediately released Charles and scrambled toward the side of the ship.
The sound of gunfire intensified as others rushed out of the turbine room, firearms in hand.
No matter how strong the flesh-strip Monster was, it was still made of flesh and blood. Under the hail of bullets, its grotesque body was shredded like a tattered sack.
When the gunfire ceased, the once-imperious Monster lay in a pool of its own foul-smelling blood, its tentacles twitching and moving slowly.
Clutching his aching side, Charles walked toward it.
Just as he raised the Revolver to its monstrous maw, the flesh at the front of the creature coalesced into the face of the ship doctor, Anna.
Anna gave a wretched smile as dark green blood trickled from the corners of her eyes like tears. "Gao Zhiming, I'm sorry… I didn't know I was fake either…"
Her words pierced Charles's heart like a dagger. An expression of pure agony crossed his face; he would have rather the Monster cursed him.
The others came over, standing behind Charles with grim expressions.
"I can't control it. I'm just a lure it created. It's stalling for time! Aim for the spot beneath its eyes—that's its weak spot!"
Staring at the face of the woman he had spent countless days and nights with in his memories, Charles felt the Revolver in his hand weigh a thousand pounds.
"Gao Zhiming, hurry! Its regenerative abilities are incredibly strong!"
Seeing Charles hesitate, Anna turned her head toward Deep. "Shorty, you do it."
Just as Deep wavered, Charles clenched his jaw, raised the gun, and squeezed the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
As the bullets struck her, a desolate smile touched Anna's face. "Thank you… I really did want to go home with you…"
As her voice faded, her face melted away, fusing back into the now-motionless body of the flesh-strip Monster.
"Ha… ha… HAHAHAHA!" Charles suddenly broke into a manic laugh. He rushed forward, grabbed the Monster's corpse, and hurled it violently toward the sea.
"Don't think you can fool me again! I won't be tricked anymore! You memory-altering monsters! It's all lies! All of it! Fake! It's all fake!"
James looked at the unhinged Charles with concern. "Captain," he said cautiously, "are you alright?"
"Fine? Hahaha, what could possibly be wrong? The crisis is over! The man-eating monster is dead! This is wonderful news! Chef! Make us something good later; we're going to celebrate! Deep, take the sailors and clean this mess up. I'm going to take the helm!"
For the rest of the day, the crew of the Rat walked on eggshells, terrified of provoking their captain.
Charles, however, seemed perfectly normal. He steered the ship and ate his meals as usual. The only difference was his behavior; he was almost hyperactive, which was deeply unsettling.
After his meal, Charles returned to his quarters. He didn't turn on the lights, plunging the cabin into darkness. With a bitter expression, he pulled a bottle of liquor from its hiding place on the bottom shelf, sat on his bed, and began to chug it.
Anna, why did you have to eat people…
If you hadn't eaten my crew, I could have pretended I didn't know…